1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless networks, and in particular, to data transmission in a multi-hop wireless network.
2. Description of the Related Technology
As a demand for wireless transmission of a high volume of data increases, various wireless communication technologies have been developed to support a high data transmission rate. Certain wireless systems use a high-rate channel for increasing a data transmission rate. For example, wireless systems based on a version of IEEE 802.11 standard (e.g., IEEE 802.11n) use a 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz bandwidth, and can support a data transmission rate of up to 600 Mbps. Other wireless systems using a 60 GHz bandwidth can support a data transmission rate of up to 5 Gbps.
As the frequency of a channel increases, the transmission range of the channel decreases. In addition, a high-rate channel is generally susceptible to obstruction by moving or stationary objects between wireless devices using the channel. Thus, data transmission using such a high-rate channel may be limited to a network covering a small open area.
Certain wireless networks need to cover a wider area than an area that such high-rate channels can cover while supporting a high data transmission rate. In addition, there is a need for a scheme that can reduce high-rate channels' susceptibility to obstruction by objects.